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Lesson #3: Power is in Bringing People Together

Article Overview: One might not think it given Luce’s fondness for being opinionated and straightforward, but part of the secret to his success lay in his ability to bring together talented people from a vast array of backgrounds to work together towards a common goal. And, although he liked being the one to articulate that goal, Luce was well aware of the need to create a strong and unified team if he was going to succeed.

Lesson #3: Power is in Bringing People Together

One might not think it given Luce’s fondness for being opinionated and straightforward, but part of the secret to his success lay in his ability to bring together talented people from a vast array of backgrounds to work together towards a common goal. And, although he liked being the one to articulate that goal, Luce was well aware of the need to create a strong and unified team if he was going to succeed.

Luce had a strong presence whenever he walked into any room. He spoke strongly and assertively. And yet, one of his defining characteristics was his ability to listen. As his pastor once said, Luce listened “with an intensity you could almost hear.”

It was that ability to listen, to take into account what those around him were saying, that helped him develop a loyal backing. Luce might not have liked what someone was saying, but at the very least he was going to give them the opportunity to say it. He quickly discovered that all many people wanted was simply the opportunity to be heard.

Luce was also an easy man to want to be around because he focused on making himself both likeable and approachable. He was fond of using quotes to inspire his team, despite the fact that so few of his quotes ever appeared in the pages of his own publications. He called good journalists “vessels of truth,” and encouraged all of his staff to take pride in the importance of their positions.

Luce was also an optimist, a man who had an unwavering faith in the good of mankind. When asked if man is “an ape or an angel,” Luce unequivocally and without hesitation sided with the angel. This optimism and hope inspired his staff and motivated them to keep working towards a greater vision, a greater good.

Luce also made a habit of keeping in touch with both his staff and the common people. Even once he had formally retired as editor-in-chief of Time Inc. in 1964, Luce made it his mission to keep himself abreast of his company’s happenings. On trips abroad, he would ask Time correspondents about the stories they were working on. He would even ask cab drivers about their thoughts on the news. Luce appeared approachable precisely because he was so keen on approaching others for their views.

And he did not just leave it at that. What good is a comment from a cab driver if it is left behind in the cab the moment it drives away? For that reason, Luce maintained a steady flow of memos to his editors in New York. Up until even a few hours after his own death, his editors were still receiving memos from Luce.

Luce was inspiring, approachable, and confident – three key characteristics of any good leader. On top of that, he introduced generous pay scales throughout his company. That is why the best of the best flocked to Luce, to get a taste of what they had been missing.

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Article Tags: angel, array, common goal, common people, fondness, greater vision, habit, hesitation, intensity, journalists, lesson 3, luce, mankind, optimism, optimist, own publications, presence, pride, time inc, unwavering faith



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